16. ALBANY (18-14) Conf.: America East | PPG: 65.9 | OPP: 64.0 Post-ing up: The Great Danes are in the tourney for the second straight year. What Albany lacks in talent, it makes up for with clutch play.

12. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (31-2) Conference: Southland PPG: 76.5 | OPP: 62.6 Post-ing up: The Lumberjacks opened the season with three wins in their first five games, but then won 28 straight to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2009.

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4. UCLA (26-8) Conference: Pac-12 PPG: 81.8 | OPP: 71.0 Post-ing up: Fun to watch but weak defensively, UCLA will need to score big to win. The Bruins are capable of putting on a show — as they did in winning the Pac-12 conference tournament.

3. SYRACUSE (27-5) Conference: ACC PPG: 68.2 | OPP: 59.3 Post-ing up: The Orange opened the season with a school-record 25 wins, but lost four of their final six games of the regular season. With Jerami Grant back from injury, Syracuse could make its second straight Final Four.

6. OHIO STATE (25-9) Conference: Big Ten PPG: 69.8 | OPP: 59.8 Post-ing up: The Buckeyes season began with 15 consecutive wins and followed that with five losses in six games, finishing fifth in the conference and with the seventh-best scoring defense in the nation.

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11. DAYTON (23-10) Conf.: Atlantic 10 PPG: 73.6 | OPP: 67.6 Post-ing up: Transfer Jordan Sibert couldn’t get off the bench at Ohio State, but his shooting touch hasn’t gone to waste for the Flyers, who have won nine of their last 10 regular-season games.

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7. NEW MEXICO (27-6) Conference: Mountain West PPG: 74.6 | OPP: 66.4 Post-ing up: New Mexico won’t overlook its first foe this year, not after it was stunned by Harvard last March. This veteran group, led by Cameron Bairstow and Kendall Williams, is eyeing a big run.

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10. STANFORD (21-12) Conference: Pac 12 PPG: 73.5 | OPP: 68.6 Post-ing up: The Cardinal is back in the Big Dance after a six-year absence. Stanford snuck into the field, despite a poor finish to the regular season, but has faced a rugged schedule that included high seeds Michigan and Arizona.

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2. KANSAS (24-9) Conference: Big 12 PPG: 79.6 | OPP: 70.5 Post-ing up: Arguably the most talented team in the country, the Jayhawks have had consistency issues, and could be without touted freshman center Joel Embiid (back, knee) for their first two games.

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15. EASTERN KENTUCKY (24-9) Conf.: Ohio Valley PPG: 79.0 | OPP: 70.6 Post-ing up: The Colonels are one of the nation’s worst rebounding teams, but make up for it by shooting 49 percent from the field. Eastern Ky. knocked off the top two seeds to reach the tournament for the first time since 2007.

Florida was rewarded with the overall top seed in the tournament and an accompanying manageable bracket. Syracuse, which was on the one-line before a late-season slump, is the weakest three-seed in the field. Despite all of its talent, second-seeded Kansas has injury questions and inconsistency issues. No. 4 UCLA, while capable, isn’t the complete team needed to dethrone the Gators.

There are live sleepers, however, such as No. 5 VCU and its frenzied pressing style, underrated New Mexico, the seven seed, and No. 8 Colorado, a deep group that is used to adversity.

Best Player:

Andrew Wiggins didn’t succumb to the massive hype and now the 6-foot-7 Kansas freshman from Canada with supernatural gifts enters the NCAA Tournament poised to build on a strong finish to the regular season.

Unsung Player

One of the most improved players in the nation, Casey Prather, the undersized 6-foot-6 Florida forward ,lives in the paint, shooting a phenomenal 61 percent.

Best Second-Round Matchup:

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Dayton. An Ohio Civil War in Buffalo, featuring one of the nation’s top defensive teams in Ohio State against Dayton, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country.

Second-Round Upset Watch:

No. 5 VCU vs. No. 12 Stephen F. Austin. VCU could be without Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year Melvin Johnson (leg), its top perimeter shooter, and balanced Stephen F. Austin has the roster depth to deal with “Havoc.”

Bracket Buster:

Under-seeded, No. 7 New Mexico has the size to create problems for inconsistent Kansas, which likely will be without center Joel Embiid in the third round.

By The Numbers:

28

Stephen F. Austin’s consecutive victories, dating back to a 66-58 loss to East Tennessee State on Nov. 23.

3.5

Steals per game VCU point guard and “Havoc” leader Briante Weber averages.

Champion: Florida

The SEC regular-season and postseason champions are deep, battle-tested, balanced and well-coached. The Gators are 15-2 in games decided by single digits and 5-1 when the margin is three points or fewer — the drama of March won’t faze them.